EMF Sensitivity and Myelin

Some people in these forums are convinced that EMF sensitivity is connected to myelin sheath depletion or damage. Unfortunately, when I ask them what the proof is for this, they don't respond to me.

I also haven't had any luck in finding out how one would repair the myelin sheath (if it is indeed the cause of EMF problems). The only information I have about this is from a movie called "Lorenzo's Oil", where the parents discovered a way to help their son who had myelin damage.

Some people in these forums are convinced that EMF sensitivity is connected to myelin sheath depletion or damage. Unfortunately, when I ask them what the proof is for this, they don't respond to me.

I also haven't had any luck in finding out how one would repair the myelin sheath (if it is indeed the cause of EMF problems). The only information I have about this is from a movie called "Lorenzo's Oil", where the parents discovered a way to help their son who had myelin damage.

Can anyone shed any light on this subject?

Thanks,
Womble

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EHS is not caused by myelin sheath problems. Rich was trying to find an explanation of this symptom that fit into his theory. Not one of the EHS sufferers I’ve communicated with believes this is what’s happening in them. All report that symptoms associated with this wax and wane, and many who figured it out seem to be able to turn it on and off. That doesn’t sound like something caused by structural breakdown. I’ve suffered the effects of this syndrome about as badly as anybody I’ve come across and I don’t have any evidence of demyelination.

Check out the work of Dr Rea in this area. The vast majority of sufferers have their EHS disappear with resolution of primary disturbances. Most often this seems to be mold and/or chemical sensitivities and intoxication.

I don't agree with you that the symptom of EMF sensitivity wax and wane.

This has not at all been my experience, not even close.

Both the EMF and Chemical sensitivity are constant with me, they have not even slightly fluctuated in 20 years.

Its possible that some people suffer from this problem for different reasons, and certain people are able to improve it or resolve it by improving on other areas, while others cannot.

Maybe a better question is: how would you know if you had myelin sheath depletion? What other things would occur? How could you prove it or test for it?

I'd love to hear more opinions on this.

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I suspected peripheral demyelination and consulted a neurologist about it. He sent me for a nerve conductivity test. Based on this they determined I didn't have demyelination. CNS demyelination, aka multiple sclerosis, on the other hand is diagnosed by brain scan. If EHS were caused by demyelination, wouldn't it be uniform in MS? It's not.

Womble, are you saying your EHS is never worse on some days? It never flares? The fact that this is the case with most PWME's leads me to believe the symptom is not caused by a structural breakdown like demyelination. Or should we think it occurs for one reason in most us, but in a select few for a completely different reason? Do you believe your MCS is caused by a structural breakdown as well? I theorize our systems are continuously aggravated by something, but that this varies in intensity.

Years ago I went to see a CFS specialist who got a ton of blood from me for various lab tests.......one of the tests showed that I had myelin antibodies................I definitely had some sort of demyelination going on as evidenced by the test as well as the permanent numbness that started on just parts of my body and then spread to include my entire body. I still have it to this day. I can still "feel" but it is just "muted".......hard to describe. I had gone to about 7 different neurologists and none of their tests showed anything abnormal. Neurologists do not impress me in the least.

Years ago I went to see a CFS specialist who got a ton of blood from me for various lab tests.......one of the tests showed that I had myelin antibodies................I definitely had some sort of demyelination going on as evidenced by the test as well as the permanent numbness that started on just parts of my body and then spread to include my entire body. I still have it to this day. I can still "feel" but it is just "muted".......hard to describe. I had gone to about 7 different neurologists and none of their tests showed anything abnormal. Neurologists do not impress me in the least.

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I still believe there's some demyelination in my arms and legs. I have a horrible sensation when I bang the back of my calf with something in just the right way. If I were to run something with a fine edge up the back of it I get this electricuted feeling. I never used to have this problem. I get the same thing in my arms. This is where I have most of my fasciculations. Something is rotting in Denmark and they can't, and seem to have no interest in, figuring it out. That said, I still don't think EHS is caused by demyelination.

I wouldn't say that my EHS, as you call it, really varies at all in terms of my sensitivity to stimuli.

What does vary is the amount of stamina I have to resist.

In other words, there are days when I am feeling stronger and more energetic, due to having rested well, taken a lot of supplements, or just because some days are better then others. On those days, I am able to read more, exercise more, spend more time on the computer, etc... I also am able to be around wi-fi for longer periods of time, and if I was exposed to paint fumes, I could probably recover quicker then usual.

However, this does not mean I am not sensitive to EMF or Chemicals on those days. They still are a huge negative that will drag me down, and the longer I am exposed, they will eventually drag me down into a fatigued state (no matter how much stamina I had to begin with).

I got m.e. from a polio vaccine as a child and have had a feeling of pressure in my head ever since. So I believe I'm one of the five percent of people with m.e. who have elevated polio antibodies. I think the polio antibodies are attacking heat shock proteins (or antigens bound to the hsp's) expressed from brain myelin because of inflammation from a number of different viruses.
When I go near a mobile phone or wireless modem, the feeling of pressure increases about three fold immediately. Mobile radiation increases the expression of some types of hsp. Histamine is increased by mobile radiation as well, so that could be involved. Taking calcium AEP decreases the effect of mobile radiation on me - calcium AEP helps protect cell membranes against autoimmune attack.
Omega 3, lecithin, B1, glutathione factors, and copper for some people help repair brain myelin.

I got m.e. from a polio vaccine as a child and have had a feeling of pressure in my head ever since. So I believe I'm one of the five percent of people with m.e. who have elevated polio antibodies. I think the polio antibodies are attacking heat shock proteins (or antigens bound to the hsp's) expressed from brain myelin because of inflammation from a number of different viruses.

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According to Dr Martin Blank EMF exposure produces a release of heat shock proteins. I don't know if this might explain some of what you experience.

There are several studies showing an increase in heat shock protein expression from rf radiation.
I wonder if people with m.e. who have ehs have autoimmunity of brain myelin, and those that don't have ehs have myelin inflammation but not autoimmunity (or their autoimmunity is milder). Maybe people with ehs have elevated polio antibodies or other elevated antibodies that attack hsp's in some part of the brain. The rf radiation would cause an increase in expression in other parts of the body, but with symptoms not as noticeable.
I find that consuming anything immunosuppressive (pork or alcohol for example) reduces the feeling of pressure in my head and also reduces my reaction to radiation. Things that stimulate the immune cascade worsen the feeling of pressure (eg - beta glucan, echinacea, h2o2) and increase my reaction to radiation. So things seem to point to rf radiation increasing autoimmunity.
Hsp's do stimulate other immune cells as well though.